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Three teams left in battle for B.C. Scotties women's curling championship

Coquitlam, BC (January 24, 2016) – It was a game that looked like it was going to be over before it had barely begun – but it turned into the comeback of all comebacks.

Down 7-0 after three ends, Team Thompson of Kamloops battled back to win the page 1 vs 2 playoffs 11-10 to secure a place in the final of the 2016 Scotties BC Women’s Championship, presented by Best Western.

The team of skip Karla Thompson, third Kristen Recksiedler, second Tracey Lavery and lead Trysta Vandale looked unsteady against a confident Team Scott at first, but came back strong, scoring 3 in the fourth end and then getting back-to-back steals in the fifth and sixth ends to bring their score up to 6. Scott came back with a deuce, but Thompson returned with a score of 3 in the eighth end. Thompson was able to hold Scott to one point in the 9th end and sealed the deal with a deuce in the tenth to win 11-10.

For Kelly Scott, six-time BC champion, and her rink of third Shannon Aleksic, second Jenna Loder, lead Sarah Pyke and coach Gerry Richard, it was a missed opportunity. But she will have the chance to make amends if she can get past Team Diane Gushulak, of Royal City Curling Club, in the semis this morning (11 a.m.).

Team Gushulak also battled back from an early deficit. Facing a scoreboard that read 5-1 in favour of Sarah Wark’s Victoria Curling Centre rink, Gushulak turned things around, scoring three in the sixth end and stealing a point in the 8th end to force a tie and bring the game to an extra end. Despite Wark having hammer in the extra end, Gushulak was able to score a deuce to win 10-8.

Gushulak’s Royal City rink features third Grace MacInnes, second Jessie Sanderson, lead Sandra Comadina and coach Neil Houston.

The action continues Sunday at the Coquitlam Curling Club venue, the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex. For anyone who cannot watch in person, the semi final (Gushulak vs Scott) will air at 11 a.m. on Sunday, January 24, on Sportsnet Pacific, and the final (Thompson vs winner of semis) will air at 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 24, on Sportsnet One.

The winning team will represent B.C. at the 2016 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian Women’s Curling Championship in Grand Prairie from February 18-28.

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